Da Ming: Father, step aside, I'll be the prime minister!

Chapter 293 Is Zhang Shiyuan wasting things again? Don't let him take advantage of this!

At the foot of West Mountain.

The land around the workshop, which was originally barren, has been cultivated inch by inch by the farmers.

The ridges of the fields, stretching from the foot of the mountain to its waist, are laid out in layers like a chessboard, neat and orderly.

After several months of development, Xishan has shed its former appearance and now resembles a secluded paradise.

Grains, vegetables, fruits—almost everything you could want was available here.

You can even find farms where cattle, sheep, and pigs are raised, and livestock are thriving.

The high-ranking officials and nobles in the capital may verbally criticize Xishan, but their actions speak louder than words.

Booking a VIP box at the Xishan Theater every two weeks to watch a play has become a status symbol.

Not to mention, only those of truly high status could obtain a ticket to visit the Western Hills, travel by carriage, and, under the arrangement of a group of officials in the Western Hills, see this "Shangri-La" on the outskirts of Beijing.

Whenever they see the crisscrossing paths, the sounds of chickens and dogs, and the harmonious scene, these people may criticize and find fault, but they are secretly envious.

Zhang Yunxiu really knows how to enjoy life. He became a "mountain king" here and enjoyed all the pleasures of the world.

Of course, the most eye-catching thing recently is not the Xishan Academy with its clear reading voices, nor the glass workshop with its mechanized and procedural operations, nor the Xishan coal mine with its crazy daily output.

It had to be a greenhouse that had been cleared out behind the Xishan Thousand Household Office.

Rows of workshop-like buildings sprang up, the most eye-catching of which were their roofs—completely made of clear glazed tiles, making them incredibly luxurious.

This "warm shed" was not open to the public, and anyone who approached it was questioned by the Imperial Guards.

Those who see this will inevitably have doubts, and it will also stir up rumors.

"This place appears to cover nearly a hundred acres. Glazed tiles have always been a luxury item. Zhang Shiyuan's use of this to build palaces is a huge overreach! Is there no one who can restrain him?"

"Hey~ Don't say anything more~ If the Embroidered Uniform Guard hears this, you'll be in big trouble~"

"Tsk tsk tsk~ These pieces of glass sell for nearly a thousand taels of silver outside, so these piles up like this must be worth hundreds of thousands of taels of silver~"

"Zhang Shiyuan started out in a madman's rage, building houses with glazed tiles. It's amazing he even thought of that. But these glazed windows are from the Western Hills, so he must have saved a lot of money."

"Let's go, let's go~ I can't stand seeing this. Just looking at it makes my heart bleed. If my son dares to waste things like this, I'll break his legs!"

Xishan Greenhouse.

At this moment, an old man and a young boy are standing among the lush vines of melons and fruits.

Zhang Sishu, who came from a background of vagrants, was dressed in rags when he first arrived in the capital, wearing almost nothing but a pair of trousers.

Later, things improved. After joining the Anping Army, he got a set of clothes and enough food to keep him warm every day.

Later, he transformed from a village elder from Shanxi into a squad leader.

To this day, Zhang Sishu's official rank has not risen, but he has become an important figure in Xishan that cannot be ignored.

The "Xishan Military Farm Office" logo on their clothes would evoke envy from the locals and officials throughout Xishan.

Although the military farms were not officially registered in the imperial court, they enjoyed treatment similar to that of a thousand-household officer in Xishan.

Most importantly, at the last Xishan Development Conference, Zhang Yunxiu directly designated the Xishan Military Settlement as the most important part of Xishan's work in the following years.

The development of the military settlements must be prioritized over everything else.

This student from Shanxi has finally made it through the hardships of his youth.

Zhang Sishu cherished this hard-won opportunity and took meticulous care of the melons and fruits in the greenhouses as if they were his own children.

He stretched out his thick fingers and carefully broke a cucumber off the vine, presenting it to Zhang Yunxiu beside him like a treasure.

"Sir, look at this! After many rounds of cultivation, this cucumber is now sweet and juicy. I've never seen such a fruit in all my years of life."

Some researchers were drawn from the original medical research institute, and together with some experienced farmers from the Xishan area, they formed the Xishan Agricultural Settlement.

Their job is singular: to cultivate superior varieties of vegetables, fruits, and even grains.

Clearly, the greenhouse that was built greatly improved the efficiency of the cultivation process, and with Zhang Yunxiu's deliberate guidance, the results were quickly seen.

Zhang Yunxiu took the cucumber and observed that although the fruit was still smaller than the cucumbers of later generations, it had swelled to nearly twice the size of the original variety.

Pesticides hadn't been developed yet, so there was no need to wash it. Zhang Yunxiu simply wiped it with his sleeve, put the cucumber in his mouth, and bit off half of it in one bite.

In an instant, the sweet juice burst in my mouth. The fruits and vegetables, which have not been over-ripened and have been carefully cared for, taste far better than those mass-produced in later generations.

"Kazkaz"

Zhang Yunxiu's manner of eating cucumbers was rather unrefined, and he smiled and reminded Zhang Sishu.

"Stop bragging about me outside. As early as the Han Dynasty, wealthy families would burn warm fires day and night in their houses to generate warmth and grow vegetables and fruits in autumn and winter. It's not surprising at all."

I'm just imitating others poorly.

In retrospect, later generations have greatly underestimated the wisdom of the ancients. Greenhouse vegetables have been recorded from the Han Dynasty to the Tang and Song Dynasties. The Ming Dynasty also had the same method. Outside the capital, vegetables and fruits grown in houses with earthen beds were called "cave goods".

However, the ancients did not have the grand scale of Zhang Yunxiu, who built standardized greenhouses, various temperature-controlled facilities, and adopted various improved planting methods.

“Sir, you are joking. There is something in this that you have done right. Throughout history, there have been many talented people, but you are probably the only one who has truly figured out this ‘cave stuff’.”

Zhang Sishu was lavish in his praise, which included some flattery, but most of it was genuine.

After all, scholars have always said, "Of all professions, only studying is noble."

There is only one situation where "studying is noble": it refers to studying the classics.

But Zhang Yunxiu did the opposite, and regarded all kinds of strange skills and crafts, such as medicine, craftsmanship, and agriculture, as the most important direction to develop.

It was precisely because of Zhang Yunxiu's persistence that Xishan was able to have so many craftsmen and farmers who were able to rely on their skills to obtain status, position, and wealth that were previously unattainable.

It's no exaggeration to say that in the hearts of many people in Xishan, Zhang Yunxiu is even comparable to a deity.

Zhang Yunxiu, unaware of the old man's thoughts, wiped his mouth with his sleeve and offered a reminder.

“Uncle Zhang, you should take good care of this greenhouse. I don’t know if I, Zhang Yunxiu, will become famous or not, but you, Uncle Zhang, will surely be remembered in history.”

A smile appeared on his face.

"I'm going to make a bold claim right now. Uncle Zhang, just you wait and see. From now on, the livelihood of everyone in the Ming Dynasty will depend on our Xishan Military Farm."

All of this is in Uncle Zhang's hands, and we can't afford to be careless.

At first, Zhang Sishu was attracted by what the other party was saying.

Phrases like "to be remembered in history" were things he could only dream of before, but one day he never imagined that he would be mentioned in such a way.
But later, he began to pay attention to how the other person addressed him.

The casual remark "Uncle Zhang" touched Zhang Sishu's heart.

His eyes immediately reddened. He used to be a village elder, but he was also a "commoner," a "petty person," and a "minor figure."

But at some point, Zhang Sishu was no longer the commoner Zhang Sishu; he could refer to himself as "this humble servant" and be addressed as "Uncle Zhang" by others.

Large tears streamed down his face, and he knelt down with a thud, saying, "I am deeply grateful for the Commander's high regard; I will serve him with my life!"

Taicang Prefecture, Suzhou Prefecture.

In recent years, the weather has become increasingly strange. It's only mid-October, but Taicang Prefecture, located in the Jiangnan region, feels like winter has arrived.

In the biting cold wind, pedestrians hurried along the road, their bodies huddled together.

Wang Shizhen gently pushed open the window of the private room and felt the chill outside, but she also saw that many pedestrians on the road were carrying various kinds of cloth and silk.

He uttered a sigh of emotion.

"Winter is approaching, and it looks like this year will be colder than usual. It's an unlucky year, with disasters constantly occurring in Jiangnan. I imagine the people will have a hard time."

After saying that, he quickly closed the window. Inside the room, a stove was burning, and with the hot food and warm yellow wine on the table, the dozen or so gentry even had a fever.

Upon hearing Wang Shizhen's sentiments, they all echoed his sentiments.

“Taicang Prefecture occupies an important position in the Grand Canal and maritime trade, so it should be better there. But the people in other parts of Jiangnan are not having such a good life.”

"Hopefully, fewer people will die this winter."

"The court is full of incompetent officials who hold their positions without doing their jobs. The Jiangnan region is a vital area for our Great Ming Dynasty. Such indifference will only lead to disaster."

"Hmph! The court doesn't need to concern itself with Jiangnan, and Jiangnan will only prosper. But now there are some people in the court who insist on interfering in Jiangnan's affairs, and now they have incurred the wrath of heaven and the resentment of the people. They only have themselves to blame."

Among these dozen or so people, even the least qualified had the title of Juren (a successful candidate in the imperial examinations). Each of them delivered a scathing critique of the "people of the imperial court."

After finishing their conversation, they didn't forget about the delicious food and wine, and they were all in high spirits as they toasted each other.

Wang Xijue held a cup of yellow wine high and spoke to Xu Jie, who was wearing a bracelet.

"The students toast Master Xu. If it weren't for Master Xu's presence, how could we have worked together so unitedly?"

Now that the major events in Jiangnan have been settled, Xu Gong's contributions far surpass those of us.

Upon hearing this, everyone at the table, not wanting to be outdone, raised their glasses and echoed the sentiment.

"We toast Master Xu."

In the warm room, Xu Jie's aged face was flushed, and his eyes were closed, looking drowsy.

Hearing the commotion inside the room, he slowly opened his eyes, but did not touch the cup of yellow wine on the table.

"I'm getting old~"

Xu Jie said with emotion in a hoarse voice.

"As the ancients said, sixty is the age of sixty, seventy is the age of seventy, and over eighty is the age of eighty."

I wonder if my old bones will even live to be eighty.

“But it will be two years from now,” Wang Shizhen said with a smile. “The Ming Dynasty cannot do without Lord Xu, and the people of Jiangnan cannot do without Lord Xu either. They will naturally bless Lord Xu with longevity and good fortune.”

"There's no need to talk about longevity and good fortune," Xu Jie said slowly. "I only wish that before I close my eyes, I can see the clear sky over Jiangnan again, and that will be enough for me."

"It's almost here," Wang Xijue said, his face showing considerable excitement.

"With this winter approaching, the Jiangnan Textile Bureau will likely be unable to hold on any longer. In the past, the Zhang family father and son would still talk about what they were doing for the people of Jiangnan."

But if in the prosperous Jiangnan region, many people freeze and starve to death in the winter, even if Hai Rui were to emerge, he would not be able to give an explanation to the people of the land!

Holding all kinds of supplies from Jiangnan, whether it be grain or silk fabrics, these are the most important needs for making a living after winter arrives.

With food plentiful and cloth to ward off the bitter cold, the prices of all kinds of goods on the market usually rise every year. This year, with various powerful families intentionally controlling the market, a crazy price surge is inevitable.

Another important factor is that rivers in various places freeze over after winter sets in, reducing the efficiency of canal and water transport.

The cost of transporting supplies on the road will also rise accordingly.

In conclusion, everything is developing in the direction that the Jiangnan gentry had anticipated.

There was no way Zhang Yunxiu could gain any advantage from this.

"Now, let's talk about the futures exchange."

Speaking of this, Wang Xijue was filled with rage. His good son, Wang Heng, was bewitched by Zhang Yunxiu because of this "futures market" and actually betrayed his father.

Wang Xijue has recently conducted in-depth research and understanding of the futures market established in Nanjing.

"From the students' perspective, Zhang Shiyuan was simply shooting himself in the foot."

Futures trading relies on the production of certain commodities.

he said with a sneer.

"The paddy fields in Jiangnan are either in our hands or in the hands of various princes and nobles. If we don't give in, where will Zhang Shiyuan find those futures?"

"Arrogant!"

Xu Jie unexpectedly rebuked him.

"The matter of futures trading is not as simple as it seems. Do you really think that Uncle Zhang is an ordinary person who can't see the problem?"

He stared.

“Since Uncle Zhang dares to let that young punk act this way, he must have something to rely on. You should not be arrogant and conceited, but rather think more carefully about what is commendable about Zhang Shiyuan’s actions.”

Having learned his lesson, Wang Xijue looked somewhat dejected, sighed, and cupped his hands in a gesture of respect.

“Students are taught.”

Xu Jie saw through his thoughts, changed the subject, and said encouragingly.

"Yuan Yu, I know you are troubled, but matters of the court require utmost care and consideration of avoiding disaster."

He looked around at everyone present and said.

"The first principle is to conceal one's talents, and the second is to yield. Concealing one's talents means not revealing one's sharpness, while yielding means being modest and unassuming."

Do you all understand this in your hearts?

The dozen or so people in the room, many of whom had been Xu Jie's subordinates or students, all stood up and bowed.

"I will heed Master Xu's teachings."

Xu Jie nodded slightly before drinking the cup of yellow wine in front of him.

He was getting old, and he seemed unable to taste the flavor of it all, only feeling a slight bitterness.

He sighed deeply and closed his eyes as he spoke.

"I am tired. You must be careful and not let Zhang Shiyuan take advantage of any loopholes."

(End of this chapter)